Marble race games, in which a marble rolls along a tortuous path, have been developed and are enjoyable to watch. Modular constructions allow the user to construct different configurations. Children and adults alike are amused as their eyes follow the marble along the tortuous path which they have constructed.
Marble race games using ramps and tubular connectors are well-known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,516 to Wirth discloses a game including only two distinct elements: a connecting tube and a track. The marble drops down the middle of the connecting tube to transfer its movement from one path to another from the top of the course to its bottom. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,838,870 to Morse discloses identical runways for interengagement of an extended course. The marble travels from the top of the course from one ramp to another until it reaches the bottom.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,038 to Wichman et al has been developed by the assignee of the present application and is herewith incorporated by reference thereto. Wichman et al discloses a variety of marble race toys having different configurations for altering the characteristics of travel as the marble passes through each toy, varying the rolling speeds and lengthening the time it takes for each marble to course through the game. Wichman et al includes a number of modular race toys constructed for connection to one another so that a marble passes from the exit of one marble race toy to the entrance of another, downstream marble race toy. All the marble race toys keep the marble moving at a great enough rolling speed to maintain visual interest and yet increase the amount of time it takes to course the entire route of the game. This is done in many of the individual toys of the Wichman et al patent by extending the path along which the marble rolls, or otherwise increasing the time it takes to traverse an entire marble race toy.
Other marble race toys have been created by the present inventor, including those described in applications entitled "Banked Hairpin Marble Race Toy," U.S. patent application Ser. No. 214,243, and "Jump Chute Marble Race Toy," U.S. patent application Ser. No. 214,239 each filed concurrently herewith and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, the disclosures of which are herewith incorporated by reference.
In most of the prior art race games, the marbles begin to traverse the course when the user starts one marble at a time from a beginning region. In one prior art device in which marbles traverse a single track from the beginning to the end of the course, more than one marble rests at the top of the track behind an arm which is lifted, thereby allowing the marbles to begin their path down the track. This device, however, begins the traverse of the marbles from a rest position with no initial momentum.